The 2022 World Cup will have a very different feeling compared to previous cups; This World Cup is accompanied by many surprises and firsts: for the first time an Arab country will host this event, for the first time you can watch three matches every day, for the first time the stadiums are located at a short distance from each other, and for the first time the matches They are held at a different time of the year and in the fall; In fact, due to the extreme heat of Qatar’s summer, the date of the 2022 World Cup has been determined from the end of November (November 30) to the middle of December (December 27), and the duration of the games will be 29 days.
To hold the World Cup matches, Qatar has equipped its stadiums with very innovative and innovative technologies and has turned this World Cup into a unique event for both football fans and fans of the world of technology. Some of these technologies are new and advanced, while others have never been used before. In fact, the 2022 World Cup, in addition to being a showcase for the most attractive sports in the world, also displays new technologies that attract the attention of all those interested in the world of technology. Continue with Zomit to learn more about the most important and interesting technologies used in the 2022 World Cup:
Smart balls
Offside fouls are one of the most controversial refereeing fouls in football. We have seen many times that the fans of a football team are unhappy with the referee’s mistake in taking offside in favor of the opposing team and claim that the right of their favorite team has been lost; This may sometimes even affect the outcome of the game and change the outcome in favor of the opposing team.
Qatar plans to use smart balls equipped with sensors to detect offsides in the 2022 World Cup to eliminate the constant worries of soccer fans. It is the first time that a smart ball is used in football competitions; These smart balls are called “Al-Rilah” (meaning “journey”) and use Adidas’ suspension system to detect offside. In fact, the sensor placed in the center of the balls sends data 500 times per second to the backstage room and to the VAR assistant referee system, and informs the offside situation by accurately detecting the point of impact.
Al-Reihle’s smart ball will be compatible with FIFA’s new semi-automatic offside technology and will collect data related to the movements of all players on the field to determine their position in situations where offside may occur. The automatic offside detection technology, which we explain more about below, combines player data and ball data and sends the necessary warnings to the video referees (VAR) based on the 3D coordinates of the players’ locations and artificial intelligence techniques.
Semi-automatic offside technology and VAR
FIFA announced some time ago that semi-automatic offside technology will be used in the Qatar World Cup. This system is a support tool for referees and helps them make more accurate and faster decisions about offsides during matches. This new technology uses 12 tracking cameras around the stadium and sends an alert to the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) as soon as the ball is received by a player in an offside position on the pitch.
The use of the VAR system in football is not new, but this system is supposed to be used in the best possible way in the Qatar World Cup. If the match referee makes a clear wrong decision about any of the following cases or if a serious incident is overlooked; With the help of the video referee, the scene is reviewed and the referee is informed:
- Doubts exist in accepted or rejected flowers
- Declared penalty foul or undeclared penalty foul
- Direct red card (does not include the second yellow card)
- Error in dismissing players
Before notifying the on-field referee, the video supervisor must confirm the data and alerts from the video assistant referee system and then notify the referee. This process takes place in just a few seconds, thus making the offside decision process faster and more accurate. Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, believes that the automatic offside detection technology is actually the improved VAR technology and added:
This technology was obtained as a result of 3 years of research and testing and offers the best of its kind for the teams, players and fans who come to Qatar. In the 2018 World Cup, FIFA took a bold step by using video assistant referee technology and this technology proved its success without controversy. We are very proud of its development and look forward to the world seeing its benefits at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
Identify types of errors or any type of violation of football rules such as touching the ball with the hand, offside, physical foul between players, detection of fouls in the penalty area or near the penalty area and Verification of the judge’s diagnosis In these areas and 3D reconstruction of game scenes Among other advantages are the semi-automatic offside detection technology and the video assistant referee system in Qatar 2022 World Cup.
Cooling system of stadiums
To host the 2022 World Cup, Qatar has designed stadiums with attractive architecture that are equipped with the most advanced technologies in the world today. One of these technologies is the intelligent cooling system for stadiums.
Although the 2022 World Cup will be held in relatively cool months, it is expected that the temperature will reach 26 degrees Celsius with a huge crowd and the harsh weather in Qatar. In this regard, Qatar has equipped its stadiums with smart cooling equipment to reduce the temperature in hot weather and provide a pleasant atmosphere for spectators and players.
The cooling system that Qatar uses for the 2022 World Cup was built by a person named Saud Abdulaziz Abdulghani and relies on solar energy to ventilate the air in the stadium and keep the space uniformly cool. With the help of this smart cooling system, the temperature in the stadium is kept constant by sensors and the air flow changes for the seats under the sun or shade; Hot air enters the stadium’s cooling system through the air circulation process, and after passing through a water cooler, it is pumped back into the stadium by jets after being cooled and purified.
Stadium cooling technology is estimated to be 40% more sustainable than previously used techniques, so it is possible to cool the stadium in this way only two hours before the event, thus significantly reducing energy consumption compared to Other methods reduced. Seven of the eight stadiums designed in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup are equipped with this advanced cooling system, and only one stadium does not use this technology, which is also close to the coast and does not need this cooling system.
FIFA Player application
For the 2022 World Cup, Qatar has introduced an application called FIFA Player, which allows players to quickly access data related to their performance evaluation.
This program has been developed in line with FIFA’s 2020 to 2030 vision and in collaboration with FIFPRO, a group of professional footballers in the world, and its goal is for players to use the latest technology to improve the level of football in the world. The FIFA Player application will be used for the first time in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and by installing it, players can see their statistics, performance evaluation and mistakes in the game immediately after each game.
Platforms for the visually impaired and the blind
In the Qatar World Cup, special intelligent platforms for the blind and partially sighted have been designed, which rely on braille and touch communication, to make available to the blind and partially sighted what is happening on the playing field at the moment; It is the first time that visually impaired or blind people have the opportunity to follow all the events happening on the playground in real time like other people.
- Bonocle It translates digital content into Braille so that people with visual impairments and spectators who cannot normally follow the games clearly can still enjoy the games.
- Feelix Palm It is the name of another technology that uses braille to send pulses without restricting the physical movement or hearing of the audience and makes these pulses available to the visually impaired or blind through a virtual reality headset or hardware such as gloves.
Space for autistic people
For the 2022 World Cup, Qatar has considered separate and special rooms for spectators with autism or sensory processing disorders in the stadiums, who can use the quiet atmosphere and safe environment of these rooms in addition to benefiting from attractive tools and have a satisfying experience. have while watching games.
Smart canopies equipped with Wi-Fi and USB charging port
For the well-being of the 2022 World Cup spectators, Qatar has arranged rest stations called ElPalm.
The energy of the stations is produced by solar panels and if you need to charge your phone while watching the games, you can go to the EIPalm stations and use the USB or wireless port to charge your phone. These stations are equipped with Wi-Fi, smart canopies and speakers to broadcast important game information and advertisements.
A completely modular stadium
One of the stadiums planned to host the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is completely modular. Modular design is a type of design in which a system is divided into smaller parts or modules. Each module can be independently created, modified, replaced or moved. Qatar’s 974 Stadium will be the first fully modular stadium in the history of the World Cup, which may no longer exist after the tournament. This 40,000-seat stadium was inspired by Legos and was built using transport containers and modular steel frames, and has an innovative and attractive design.
The entire building can be dismantled in just a few hours and even the steel used in it can be completely recycled. Qatar is said to be planning to transfer the 974 modular stadium parts to Uruguay after the World Cup games are over in December to help build one of the 2030 World Cup stadiums. Fewer materials have been used in the construction of this structure compared to traditional stadiums, and until the round of 16, seven matches will be held in it. The name of the stadium, 974, refers to the number of containers used in its design, and very coincidentally, it is also the international dialing code of Qatar.
Navigation technology
In the 2022 World Cup, for the betterment of spectators and players, if has released an application called NavBuddy Qatar, which people can use to choose their desired route or find the nearest toilet or restaurant.
In addition, with the help of NavBuddy Qatar and sensors placed on the streets of Doha, it is possible to plan and find low-traffic routes when going to the stadiums.
food delivery; In person or on site
In the 2022 World Cup, spectators no longer need to worry about feeling hungry during matches and watching the game.
The Asapp application has been developed for these conditions and it is enough for people in any of the stadiums to use this application to deliver their food or by selecting the in-person delivery request, to receive their food in person at the location.
Smart charging stations for electric cars
Qatar Electricity and Water Company (Kahramaa) has planned more than 80 charging stations near the stadiums where these competitions are held and other important places to charge electric cars.
In November 2020, the company established the infrastructure of the charging unit for electric vehicles and signed a memorandum of understanding for the production of electric chargers for electric vehicles a year later. The smart charging stations for electric cars have been installed in line with Qatar’s efforts to become the first carbon-free World Cup host, and Kahramaa explains:
We installed more than 80 electric vehicle charging stations in October 2022 near 8 stadiums and across Qatar, ready to host the first carbon-free World Cup.
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It seems that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will change all the previous expectations and compliments of the World Cup of football and fans and athletes will have an amazing experience thanks to the advanced facilities and technology used in this World Cup. Football fans gather every four years to support their favorite teams and experience an extraordinary event; Qatar World Cup, however, by using the most up-to-date and innovative technologies in the world, aims to create an experience beyond watching football for these people.
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